Vanessa Cassidy is a character from The Grudge 2, portrayed by Teresa Palmer. She is an American schoolgirl attending Tokyo's International School with Miyuki and Allison. Being vicious and mean, Vanessa crosses paths with the grudge curse after persuading the newcomer Allison to enter "one of the most haunted houses in all of Japan".
Biography
Vanessa was a student from the International School and best friends toMiyuki. She is the "queen bee" of the small friend group and a popular girl in the school. As Chicago's newcomer Allison wanted to join their friendship, Vanessa offered her a test: to enter an abandoned, flared house, said to be "one of the most haunted houses in all of Japan". Vanessa somehow knew about the house's murderous background and its inhabitant curse but demonstrated to be skeptical about it. The three schoolgirls then visited the place where "a girl" set a fire that killer her "boyfriend" two years before. Vanessa made Allison accomplish her task, but Allison ended up actually meeting something inside the wardrobe that left them all scared, Allison, Miyuki and Vanessa herself.
Vanessa, however, still taunted Allison about her fear and her visits to the school's counselor, unaware that Miyuki was also being lurked by the ghosts. Vanessa then saw herself wrapped in dark hair at the shower and a figure of Kayako watching over her in the school's cloakroom, which made her piss herself and run through the halls in fear. She was then advised by a teacher that the counselor wanted to see her as well. At the Counselor's room, Vanessa met a startled Allison, who told her that Miyuki was missing. Allison then blamed Vanessa for what had been happening to her, and ran off the room. The Counselor followed her and Vanessa, left alone, sent a last text message to Miyuki. Haunted by Toshio, she ran out of the room as well.
Desperate in the streets, she entered a phone cab and attempted to make Miyuki one last call, only to hear Kayako's death rattle. Startled, Vanessa drop the phone and look into the booth, and then Toshio appear to grab her legs, prevent her to run from the booth. Vanessa then found her fate under the curse, as Kayako fully wrapped her with her hair. She was later found dead inside the phone cab by some pedestrians.
Aftermath
Apart from Kayako and Toshio, the curse followed Allison to her appartment building in Chicago in the form of Vanessa and Miyuki. Jake saw the two ghostly schoolgirls twice, the first time walking behind Allison in the basement, the second time himself being threateningly stared by their ghostly eyes.
Notes
- The character of Vanessa was written with actress Vanessa Lengies in mind. The part still bares her name.
- Australian, The Grudge 2 was actress Teresa Palmer's first American film. She reportedly felt her accent in the movie was "horrific".[1]
- The shot of Vanessa in the shower mirrors the infamous scene of Karen in the shower where she is touched by Kayako's ghost, from The Grudge.
- Teresa Palmer had a video journal during shooting that is availabe here. It shows Palmer hanging out in Tokyo with co-star Arielle Kebbel and their first sight of the Saeki house setting.
- The scene where Vanessa is in the principal's office being tormented by Toshio references Mizuho's demise in Ju-on: The Curse.
- From a certain perspective, Vanessa can be considered one of the main antagonist of the Grudge 2 since she is the reason that the Saeki's curse is revived and unleashed. Her actions cause the curse to spread to America, starting the events of the Grudge 3 and killing many people in both movies.
Gallery
